It is now official -- I am retired as of the end of June, 2014. I shall post here only when there is a need to do so -- as in if I teach as a guest lecturer. Feel free to make use of my materials -- just provide credits if you re-use my material.

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Friday, May 30, 2014

Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.caThis blog provides lesson plans for each week. Look ahead to see where we are going. Look back to see what you might have missed. All assignments are provided here. If anything is underlined, click on it to bring up the document or, in the case of videos, link to an online version of what was scheduled for seeing in class or as enrichment. So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/. Admittedly, I do not update this site regularly, so there may be dead links.I take a few photos around the school, if you are interested, click here to see my Public Picassa photo albums. Grad Boat Cruisephotos are now posted.Recent albums include the Centennnial Theater and Sutherland concerts of the Asahikawa High School Wind Orchestra, the Senior Girls' soccer games vs Howe Sound, Carson, Windsor and Seycove - also the playoff games against St. Thomas More and Windsor. The Junior Girls vs Windsor, Handsworth, & the playoff game vs Sentinel, the Junior Boys' rugby game vs Seycove, and the May 9 Ultimate Tournament. Finally, there are also pictures from Gwynne Dyer's talk to Senior Students.***Strike Advisory: Tuesday, June 3 has been set for North Vancouver's one day strike -- part of the ongoing labour dispute involving revolving strikes throughout the province. There will be no classes Tuesday unless a settlement occurs. Teachers are trying to minimize the strike's impact on students. In the months that we have struck so far there has been little to no impact; as the dispute ramps up the impact will be greater, but I am hopeful that things are sorted before the impact becomes appreciable.***Partial Lockout Advisory: I'm afraid this will impact students and I am not able to buffer them from its effects. You can read the full letter by the Government's chief negotiator here. Clearly those who wrote the letter don't understand the impact of what they order. To justify cutting teacher pay by 10% they have reduced what we are allowed to do at work or at home:"...we are suspending the performance of specified duties and reducing the hours of work of your members, which provides the basis for this reduction in salary." I face government sanctions if I try to do more than they outline!Most significantly:"unit employees are directed not to work during recess or lunch hours except as specifically required by the essential services order." This means I cannot supervise make up tests or provide tutorial assistance as I would normally...or provide the usual extra exam prep classes for Provincial Exam writers. We are also directed "not to attend their workplace earlier than 45 minutes before the commencement of their instructional time or later than 45 minutes after the end of their instructional time...." This means there is no longer the opportunity to make up missed tests before or after school -- as 45 minutes is insufficient to do so. From now on, students will have to miss another class in order to make up tests. I have no idea how final exams will be marked if I cannot legally work beyond the hours they specify. The Social Studies 11 provincial exam ends at 4:00 p.m. on the day before we are locked out for the remainder of the year. I have to leave school before the exam ends and I will not walk into school the next day if all my other colleagues are locked out on the street. Someone else (not teachers) will have to mark these. Similarly, now that the ministry has made it necessary to write non-provincial final exams during regular classes, I do not have time to mark these tests in the time provided and also complete report card entries. Report cards are endangered. Clearly this dispute has the potential to turn the year end into a major train wreck.Social Studies 8

I expect we will write the Renaissance and Reformation unit test on Wednesday, June 4. This test will be smaller than usual. I expect the Renaissance and Reformation test will be as follows: 25 multiple choice questions (1 mark each) and a choice of two from four long answer questions (6 marks each). The total is, therefore, out of 37 marks. 30 properly-done flashcards are needed to earn 3 bonus marks.

Please Note: If you looked at the blog before Wednesday morning, I have made a change. I've moved Thursday's homework to Wednesday, after the test.

Monday, June 2 - Take up #1-5, p. 150. Video: Christianity - A History; Part 5; the Reformation.1. How did the Reformation result in conflict in Europe? 2. How is the division of Christianity still evident in the world today? Read pp. 150-154. Do #1-6, p. 154.Study for the test on the Renaissance and Reformation next class.

Tuesday, June 3 - Sorry everyone, this is a strike day so school is not in session. Be sure to use this time to study for the Renaissance and Reformation test next class and begin studying for the final exam.

I am concerned about any further loss in teaching time. If more classes are lost to strike or lockout, I will have to direct students to cover curriculum on their own. This will be outlined in future blog entries. As it is, I will have to condense material to complete the whole course. I will do my best to cover the material most likely to appear on the Provincial exam.We made faster progress than I thought we would on Al Gore's film. I have therefore changed the Thursday and Friday plan this week. Please note this if you looked at the blog before Thursday.

Now is also the time to begin thinking about and preparing for the Provincial Exam.

***Here is a set of summary notes for the Social Studies 11 course -- excellent for use in studying for the final exam.

***Here is another, shorter, set of notes for the Social Studies 11 course.

Find another set of notes on the Counterpoints text at:

Be sure to look at past exam material to get comfortable with the format. Go to

To see how to approach the essay questions, look at this document provided to train markers of the exam. Link from my web page on writing the SS11 final, and also see my PowerPoint on how to approach the test.

Monday, June 2 - Exam post-mortem. Continue PowerPoint for chapter 1. Read pp. 6-16 of The 21st Century World text -- paper or online. Do #1-5, p. 11, #1-9 p. 16 and #1-4 pp. 16-17. Video sidebar (I do not require you to watch this, but highly recommend that you do so: Tom Friedman's MIT address - The World is Flat 3.0.)

Tuesday, June 3 - Sorry people, this is a strike day so there are no classes in session. Use the time to begin preparation for the final exam. In particular look at my PowerPoint on how to approach the final exam -- see above.

Thursday, June 5 - Take up #1-4, p. 21. I think we should complete the resto of An Inconvenient Truth and questions(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4,part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10). Discuss the video -- Why is it sometimes seen as controversial? We will go over your conclusions from the Al Gore film and then will watch Climate of Doubt which deals with the Climate Change denial viewpoint. While watching it, answer the following questions: 1. What groups in society are most prominent in denying climate change? 2. What are their reasons for doing so? Work on flashcards for chapter 1.Read p. 22 and do the "Further Thought questions, #1-2, on p. 22. Optional: For an alternative view, see The Great Global Warming Swindle. Interestingly every BC school was sent a free copy of this by an organization (hard to determine the parent organization) that felt it needed to combat Climate Change proponents. To make sense of this debate you could look into what respectable academic bodies say. Many countries have academies of science; investigate their views. The United Nations' Secretary General, Ban-Ki Moon recently traveled to the Arctic and he is on record as speaking on the subject during this trip. His view is representative of most of the world's nations on the topic. Also the 2007-2008 United Nations Human Development Report took as its over-arching theme Climate Change. You will find the report's accompanying video interesting (choose your download speed and language).

Friday, May 23, 2014

Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.caThis blog provides lesson plans for each week. Look ahead to see where we are going. Look back to see what you might have missed. All assignments are provided here. If anything is underlined, click on it to bring up the document or, in the case of videos, link to an online version of what was scheduled for seeing in class or as enrichment. So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/. Admittedly, I do not update this site regularly, so there may be dead links.I take a few photos around the school, if you are interested, click here to see my Public Picassa photo albums. Grad Boat Cruisephotos are now posted.Recent albums include the Centennnial Theater and Sutherland concerts of the Asahikawa High School Wind Orchestra, the Senior Girls' soccer games vs Howe Sound, Carson, Windsor and Seycove - also the playoff games against St. Thomas More and Windsor. The Junior Girls vs Windsor, Handsworth, & the playoff game vs Sentinel, the Junior Boys' rugby game vs Seycove, and the May 9 Ultimate Tournament. Finally, there are also pictures from Gwynne Dyer's talk to Senior Students.

***Strike Advisory: Thursday, May 29 has been set for North Vancouver's one day strike (We are also informed that the Government intends to lock teachers out for 3 days at the end of June) -- part of the ongoing labour dispute involving revolving strikes throughout the province. There will be no classes Thursday unless a settlement occurs. Teachers are trying to minimize the strike's impact on students. In the months that we have struck so far there has been little to no impact; as the dispute ramps up the impact will be greater, but I am hopeful that things are sorted before the impact becomes appreciable.***Partial Lockout Advisory: I'm afraid this will impact students and I am not able to buffer them from its effects. You can read the full letter by the Government's chief negotiator here. Clearly those who wrote the letter don't understand the impact of what they order. To justify cutting teacher pay by 10% they have reduced what we are allowed to do at work or at home: "...we are suspending the performance of specified duties and reducing the hours of work of your members, which provides the basis for this reduction in salary." I face government sanctions if I try to do more than they outline!Most significantly:"unit employees are directed not to work during recess or lunch hours except as specifically required by the essential services order." This means I cannot supervise make up tests or provide tutorial assistance as I would normally...or provide the usual extra exam prep classes for Provincial Exam writers. We are also directed "not to attend their workplace earlier than 45 minutes before the commencement of their instructional time or later than 45 minutes after the end of their instructional time...." This means there is no longer the opportunity to make up missed tests before or after school -- as 45 minutes is insufficient to do so. From now on, students will have to miss another class in order to make up tests. I have no idea how final exams will be marked if I cannot legally work beyond the hours they specify. The Social Studies 11 provincial exam ends at 4:00 p.m. on the day before we are locked out for the remainder of the year. I have to leave school before the exam ends and I will not walk into school the next day if all my other colleagues are locked out on the street. Someone else (not teachers) will have to mark these. Similarly, now that the ministry has made it necessary to write non-provincial final exams during regular classes, I do not have time to mark these tests in the time provided and also complete report card entries. Report cards are endangered. Clearly this dispute has the potential to turn the year end into a major train wreck.Social Studies 8 We just wrote a unit test on the Middle Ages last week. Our Renaissance and Reformation unit will take us until just beyond the end of this week. I expect we will write that unit test on Tuesday, June 3. This test will be smaller than usual. I expect the Renaissance and Reformation test will be as follows: 25 multiple choice questions (1 mark each) and a choice of two from four long answer questions (6 marks each). The total is, therefore, out of 37 marks. 30 properly-done flashcards are needed to earn 3 bonus marks.

Monday, May 26 - Finish taking up p. 143 material. See more of Sister Wendy's material.Take up #1-4, p. 147.Continue Romeo and Juliet video (part 1, part 2,). Describe the renaissance world shown in the movie. How did the lives of upper middle class families then differ with the lives of the same kind of people today? Be sure to think about family relationships, work, interests and lifestyles. No specific homework today. Why not work on flashcards for this unit?

Tuesday, May 27 - Take up #1-4, p. 147.Continue Romeo and Juliet video (part 1, part 2,). Describe the renaissance world shown in the movie. How did the lives of upper middle class families then differ with the lives of the same kind of people today? Be sure to think about family relationships, work, interests and lifestyles. No specific homework today. Why not work on flashcards for this unit?

Wednesday, May 28 - Complete the video. Use the notes taken when you watched the film to write a paragraph comparing upper middle class life in the Renaissance with upper middle class life today. Note: We only managed to finish film of Romeo and Juliette today. I've moved the remainder of this material to Friday.

Thursday, May 29 - On Strike. No classes will be held today unless a settlement is reached.

Our Post-War Canada unit concludes this week. Expect your unit test to be on Friday, May 30. I expect the unit test to be roughly as follows: 43 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), 5 definitions (2 marks each) and a choice of 2 (Note: this is a change because we cannot give extra time on this test) from 5 choices (6 marks each). The test is, therefore, out of 71 marks. 30 flash cards are needed to earn 5 marks.

Now is also the time to begin thinking about and preparing for the Provincial Exam.

***Here is a set of summary notes for the Social Studies 11 course -- excellent for use in studying for the final exam.

***Here is another, shorter, set of notes for the Social Studies 11 course.

Find another set of notes on the Counterpoints text at:

Be sure to look at past exam material to get comfortable with the format. Go to

To see how to approach the essay questions, look at this document provided to train markers of the exam. Link from my web page on writing the SS11 final, and also see my PowerPoint on how to approach the test.

Monday, May 26 - Take up the sidebar on p. 211 & #1-2, p. 213 and #2-6, p. 216. Block 3 Mr. Tewanee Joseph will be in the class to relate the experience of First Nations people in modern Canadian society and the influences of the past. There will likely be time for questions and answers. If this part of the class ends early, we will continue the PowerPoint - Land Claims and the Indian Act. Be sure to study tonight for the exam on Friday. Make and use flash cards. Block 4. This will depend on what happens in block 3 today. If all of the block is used by our speaker, we will fill in here with what I used in block 3 during Gwynne Dyer's talk -- material on Nuclear war. If not all of the class is used, we will continue the PowerPoint

Tuesday, May 27 - Continue PowerPoint Land Claims and the Indian Act. Watch video segments from Canada; A People's History - the following episodes:" Taking Back the Past" and "Land And Nations". Complete these questions while doing so. To study for the exam on Friday, create a timeline of Canadian events from 1945 to the present. This is homework, not an assignment.

Wednesday, May 28 - Complete the PowerPoint and any other material not finished. If there is significant time left over, we will look at some more episodes from Canada; a People's History. If we finish everything, we will start the next unit by handing out the new text books -- which can also be found online -- and in much better condition than the print versions. If time, we will begin the PowerPoint for Chapter 1. Study for the unit test on Friday.

Thursday, May 29 - Regrettably, this is a strike day. No Classes. Use the time to study for the unit test and begin preparing for the Provincial final exam.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.caThis blog provides lesson plans for each week. Look ahead to see where we are going. Look back to see what you might have missed. All assignments are provided here. If anything is underlined, click on it to bring up the document or, in the case of videos, link to an online version of what was scheduled for seeing in class or as enrichment. So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/. Admittedly, I do not update this site regularly, so there may be dead links.I take a few photos around the school, if you are interested, click here to see my Public Picassa photo albums. Grad Boat Cruisephotos are now posted.Recent albums include the Centennnial Theater and Sutherland concerts of the Asahikawa High School Wind Orchestra, the Senior Girls' soccer games vs Howe Sound, Carson, Windsor and Seycove - also the playoff games against St. Thomas More and Windsor. The Junior Girls vs Windsor, Handsworth, & the playoff game vs Sentinel, the Junior Boys' rugby game vs Seycove, and the May 9 Ultimate Tournament. Finally, there are also pictures from Gwynne Dyer's talk to Senior Students.

***Strike Advisory: Next Thursday, May 29 has been set for North Vancouver's one day strike -- part of the ongoing labour dispute involving revolving strikes throughout the province. There will be no classes that day unless a settlement occurs. Teachers are trying to minimize the strike's impact on students. In the months that we have struck so far there has been little to no impact; as the dispute ramps up the impact will be greater, but I am hopeful that things are sorted before the impact becomes appreciable.

Social Studies 8

We are working on the longest unit of the year -- The Middle Ages in Europe. This will involve studying all of chapters 3, 4 and 5 before we write out next test. This test will be on Wednesday, May 21. Expect 49 multiple choice questions (1 mark each) and 4 from a choice of 7 long answer questions (6 marks each). The test total is out of 73 marks. 30 flash cards may earn up to 5 bonus marks.

Monday, May 19 - Holiday. No Classes -- so study for the unit test on Wednesday.

Tuesday, May 20 - Take up homework. Introduction to the Italian Renaissance. Watch: The Medici -- Godfathers of the Renaissance; Birth of a Dynasty. 1. How did the Medici come to dominate Florence? 2. How did they help bring about a flowering of interest in ancient learning and modern art and architecture? 3. What was the relationship between artists and patrons in Florence during the renaissance? 4. How did Brunelleschi change Western art? 5) How did Cosimo bring knowledge from the outside world to Florence? Read pp. 134-138. Do #1-7, p. 138.

Wednesday, May 21 - Unit Test on the entire Middle Ages in the West -- all of chapters 3, 4 and 5.

Thursday, May 22 - Test post-mortem. Take up #1-7, p. 138. Complete the video from Tuesday (last 15 minutes). Take up homework. Watch this video clipfrom James Burke's The Day the Universe Changed; Point of View (From 15:29- 29:56. Questions: How did Brunelleschi and Alberti change the art of painting? Watch Sister Wendy 0n Renaissance artists. 1) Name at least one major work by each artist she deals with. 2) Explain why each artist is considered great. Read pp. 139-143. do #1-5, p. 143.

Friday, May 23 - Take up p. 143 homework. This is as far as we got -- just looking at question 1 and going over the importance of all of these figures. We still have more to cover, but I think it well-worth the time. The other material scheduled for today will now move to next Monday -- including the assigned homework. Use the time to start thinking about the final exam. Be sure to collect all of your flash cards from the year and throw out all the cards you know. Study those you are fuzzy about and those you don't know. There is no sense studying what you already know. Learn the material you don't understand.

Social Studies 11

Our test on Post-War Canada is a little over a week away -- probably Friday, May 30 (Note, this is a change from what was posted earlier -- a result of Thursday's announced 1 day strike). I expect the unit test to be roughly as follows: 43 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), 5 definitions (2 marks each) and a choice of 3 from 5 choices (6 marks each). The test is, therefore, out of 71 marks. 30 flash cards are needed to earn 5 marks.

Thursday, May 22 - Take up #1,2, 4 & 5, p. 194. PowerPoint The Quiet and Not-So-Quiet Revolution. If we get a chance to start it, we will begin the PowerPoint: "Land Claims and the Indian Act."Read pp. 201-207. Do #1-5, p. 204 and 1-5, p. 206.Assignment: 10 marks, due Monday. Why do many Quebecers want an independent Quebec? Why has this not come about?

Friday, May 23 - Take up homework. Continue or begin PowerPoint - "Land Claims and the Indian Act." Read pp. 208-216. Do the sidebar on p. 211 & #1-2, p. 213 and #2-6, p. 216.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.caThis blog provides lesson plans for each week. Look ahead to see where we are going. Look back to see what you might have missed. All assignments are provided here. If anything is underlined, click on it to bring up the document or, in the case of videos, link to an online version of what was scheduled for seeing in class or as enrichment. So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/. Admittedly, I do not update this site regularly, so there may be dead links.I take a few photos around the school, if you are interested, click here to see my Public Picassa photo albums. Grad Boat Cruisephotos are now posted.Recent albums include the Centennnial Theater and Sutherland concerts of the Asahikawa High School Wind Orchestra, the Senior Girls' soccer games vs Howe Sound, Carson, Windsor and Seycove. The Junior Girls vs Windsor, Handsworth, & the playoff game vs Sentinel, the Junior Boys' rugby game vs Seycove, and the May 9 Ultimate Tournament.Social Studies 8

We are working on the longest unit of the year -- The Middle Ages in Europe. This will involve studying all of chapters 3, 4 and 5 before we write out next test. This is Wednesday, May 21. Expect 49 multiple choice questions (1 mark each) and 4 from a choice of 7 long answer questions (6 marks each). The test total is out of 73 marks. 30 flash cards may earn up to 5 bonus marks.We will watch two episodes of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives in class. If you want to see about the lives of other medieval people, here are links to other episodes: The Monk, The Damsel, The Minstrel, The Philosopher, The Outlaw, The King. A terrific documentary about medieval life is Michael Woods' Christina; A Medieval Life. Be sure to watch this if you get the chance. It gives real insight into 14th Century peasant life. Mr. Benoy is particularly fond of this film as it describes medieval live in the English County in which he was born. We may or may not get a chance to work this into a class.Interested in Medieval weapons? Watch Weapons that Made Britain; The Long Sword, Weapons that Made Britain; the Lance and The Weapons that Made Britain; The Longbow, Weapons that Made Britain; the Shield. Watch Battlefield Britain; Hastings about the Norman conquest of Britain.Interested in medieval lifestyles? Try Clarissa and the King's Cookbook to see how medieval royals ate. Try also Inside the Medieval World; Knowledge - what medieval people knew. Investigate life in England's greatest medieval city -- London -- in Filthy Cities; Medieval London- not a pretty place, but like the expanding great cities of the developing world today, a place of horror and opportunity.Your Medieval Research assignmens are due Monday. I hope to have them all marked and returned to you by Friday. Bear with me; these take some time to mark.

Thursday, May 15 - Take up #1-6, p. 84. Watch from 1:17:00 to the end of The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain. Questions: 1) What was life like in Moslem Spain? 2) What happens to the reconquered people of Granada after the Christian reconquest? Read pp. 85-87. Do #1-6, p. 87. Interested in the Inquisition? Try these two documentaries: Secret Files of the Inquisition; Part 1, and Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. And now for something completely different -- Monty Python's "Spanish Inquisition."

Your next unit test is this Monday. The mark breakdown for the unit test is most likely to be as follows: 45 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), 5 definitions (2 marks each) and 3 from a choice of 5 long answer questions (6 marks each). The total is, therefore, out of 73 marks. 5 bonus marks are available if you submit more than 25 flash cards done as required.

Monday, May 12 - Unit Test on The Interwar Years and World War 2.

Tuesday, May 13 - Test Post-Mortem. Take upsidebar questions pp. 140, 141 #1-2, 143 #3, 145 and #1-6, p. 146. Watch Canada; A People's History; Seeing Red, On Guard For Thee and The Shadow of Nuclear War and go over the questions.PowerPoint Post 1945 Canada. Material from Canada; A Peoples’ History; Comfort & Fear. . On your own and outside of class, watch the stunning British Documentary Nuclear War: A Guide to Armageddon to understand the stakes of nucelar confrontation. Another riveting show on nuclear war is Threads, a BBC production about what would happen to a community if nuclear war occurred.

Thursday, May 15 - Blocks 3 & 4 differ today. I will show block 3 a Cold War Video or two. Block 4 will attend a speaker in the big gym -- News reporter and analyst Gwynne Dyer.

Friday, May 16 - Take up sidebars p. 146 ; #1-4, p. 150, #1-3, p. 155 & #1-5, p, p. 156. We are a bit behind on the videos and PowerPoint material. I plan to look at some more of the PowerPoint today, then go onto more from the Canada; A People's History series ("Material from Canada; A People’s History (“A Question of Equality,” “A Changing Face,”and “The Computer Moves In” and questions). Read pp. 157-172. Do #2-4, p. 158, #2-6, p. 167, & #1-5, p. 172.